CROATIA WILL ACCEPT INTERNATIONAL HEALTH COMMISSION FOR NALETILIC

ZAGREB, Oct 17 (Hina) - Following an announcement made by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) Sunday that an international medical team could check the health condition of Mladen Natelilic Tuta, Croatian Justice Minister confirmed Naletilic's health was in an "exceptionally grave condition". Separovic stressed Croatia accepted the international medical commission. The Croatian Supreme Court's written statement about Naletilic's condition will be forwarded to the Tribunal on Monday, as well as medical test results and a doctors' consilium opinion on Naletilic's state. "We will send this to the ICTY president and the chief prosecutor, as was agreed during our talks in The Hague," Separovic told Croatian Television Sunday. If requested, "we will accept an international medical commission to ascertain whether Naletilic can take the transferral". He stressed Croatia had "resisted the pressures for extradition without decisions of its justice bodies," adding "the Croatian Supreme Court's decision allowing the extradition of defendant to the ICTY is final". "The only new issue is the health condition which has obviously become aggravated," Separovic said. "Naletilic's exceptionally grave health condition" are confirmed by "test results of the best Croatian medical experts", he said. "We believe there is no reason to mistrust the highest authorities of Croatian medicine, but when it comes to delicate cases with international implications, we allow the possibility, as had been in the Aleksovski case, for an international arbitration team to come and establish the condition," Separovic said. Last Thursday Naletilic was admitted at the coronary care unit of a Zagreb hospital as his health was deteriorating. (hina) lml